


Chaos and Quiet Moments

by thistreasurehunter



Series: After the Rain: Lightning Flashes of the Future [2]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Baking, Birthday, Birthday Cake, Birthday Fluff, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Just something sickly sweet tbh..., M/M, Pet Names, baking gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25448182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thistreasurehunter/pseuds/thistreasurehunter
Summary: Pope comes home early and catches JJ doing something in the kitchen.
Relationships: JJ/Pope (Outer Banks)
Series: After the Rain: Lightning Flashes of the Future [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819378
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	Chaos and Quiet Moments

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the same universe as my [After the Rain series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808869) but a few years in the future.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Outer Banks characters or settings.

“Oh, no. Oh, that’s not good.”

Pope closed the front door quietly and stood still for a second in the hallway, head on one side, listening. He could hear movement in the kitchen, the clatter of something falling to the floor and muffled grumbling.

“Why won’t you just…? No, wait, stop! Don’t slide, don’t slide, don’t slide... Oh dear.”

There was a dull thunk, and he heard JJ say “owch.”

Pope dropped his backpack and walked down the hall into their kitchen.

He pushed the door open and stopped in the entrance, his eyebrows shooting up.

JJ – frozen in place and eyes suddenly wide – looked up guiltily.

“I thought you said you were going to be back late tonight?!” he spluttered.

“I did,” Pope said absently, still a little in shock.

“But, but…” JJ waved his arm wildly. Something gloopy flicked off his finger and landed somewhere near the toaster. “But this isn’t late at all!” he finally said, the tiniest hint of accusation behind the words.

“Lecture was cancelled.” Pope said. “I did text you. But maybe you didn’t notice. I mean, you look a little _busy._ ” He looked around the kitchen, taking in the full scene. “Babe,” he said finally, “what’re you doing?”

JJ deflated a little and looked around at the chaos surrounding him.

“I was,” he started sheepishly, purposefully not catching Pope’s eye. “I was trying to bake you a cake.” Pope’s eyes twinkled.

“A surprise cake,” JJ clarified. “For your birthday tomorrow. I thought I could make it tonight while you were out and hide it in a cupboard overnight and surprise you in the morning.”

Pope’s heart clenched and he looked at JJ fondly. “Sweetie pie,” he said gently, “even if the lecture hadn’t been cancelled, I’d have been back in about an hour anyway. Did you really think you could finish up and then get our kitchen looking normal again by then?”

They both looked around them. Dirty bowls were strewn across the counter, along with various utensils, eggs shells and empty packets. Cake tins were discarded near the hob, a brown, baked-on crust coating the inside. There was a palette knife on the floor, gloopy icing dripping from the flat blade into a small puddle. A layer of flour and icing sugar seemed to have settled over everything. JJ bent down and picked up a cookery book that was splayed open, upside-down, by his feet. Clearly this is what had slipped off the counter and landed on JJ’s foot when Pope first arrived home. JJ’s fingers left sticky marks on the cover as he tried to find somewhere to balance it on the counter.

“Hmm,” JJ said. “I take your point.”

Pope laughed. JJ looked at him, and Pope saw the streak of icing on his cheek, the floury smears and handprints on his clothes and something pale brown and gloopy drying in crusty matted clumps in his wild hair.

Pope leaned forwards and tried to pull a bit of the stuff out of his hair. He raised a questioning eyebrow at his boyfriend.

“Oh, yeah,” JJ said. “I forgot about that.” He glanced up and Pope followed his gaze to the streaks of cake batter splattered on the ceiling.

“What…?” Pope started.

“I tried to use that mixer your mum gave us,” JJ explained. “But I guess I didn’t fix the lid on properly.”

“What’s that?” Pope said, pointing at a couple of thin, dense-looking – vaguely cake-shaped – disks half hidden under an empty bag of flour.

“Oh, that was my first attempt. Back when I had high expectations. Apparently there is a difference between plain and self-raising flour.”

“Think the clue’s in the name,” Pope smiled.

“I can follow a recipe,” JJ defended himself. “But I didn’t know about the flour thing.” He huffed. “I just wanted to get it right.”

“Did you?” Pope grinned.

“Yes!” JJ nodded vigorously. “The cake worked well. Eventually.” He paused and looked over his shoulder and then back to Pope. “The decorating part, not so much though,” he admitted. He scrunched his nose, contorting his face into an expression of dejected disappointment.

“Can I see?” Pope asked.

“Well, the surprise is ruined now, so might as well,” JJ sighed. He stepped away from the counter, revealing the thing behind him that had previously been shielded by his body.

Pope looked down. “It’s brilliant,” he said automatically. Then, after a beat, he added gently, “what is it?”

JJ grimaced and scrubbed a hand over his face, but when he brought it down, he was smiling.

“That bad, huh?” he said.

“No,” Pope said quickly. “I mean, it looks great! I can see you’ve clearly put a lot of effort into this. I was just wondering…” he paused, “well, it’s very unusual looking. I was just wondering what the thinking behind it was?”

“I remember my mum made me a cake once,” JJ said slowly. “I was seven, I think. It was in the shape of a dog. It was amazing, I couldn’t believe she’d made it. Couldn’t believe she’d made it for me. I remember she said proper birthday cakes should always be in the shape of something.”

Pope’s eyes scanned JJ’s face. JJ was looking determinedly at the cake in front of him. Pope reached over and took hold of his hand – his sticky, messy hand – and squeezed. The corner of JJ’s mouth twitched in a smile and he shook himself slightly.

“I tried to do you a book,” JJ said, looking over at Pope ruefully. “Because you’re so, you know, brainy. And also, you look positively adorable when you’re reading – you stick your tongue out a bit when you concentrate.”

“I do not,” Pope smiled.

“You do too,” JJ grinned. “It’s super cute. So, I thought I’d do you a cake that was an open book and I could, maybe, write a message on the page…” He trailed off looking down again.

“Is that’s what’s going on here?” Pope pointed to a smudge of blue that looked like it could once have been lettering, but which was slowly sliding off the edge, the colour bleeding into the runny white icing covering the rest of the cake.

“Yeah,” JJ sighed.

“It was a lovely thought,” Pope said, squeezing JJ’s hand again. “I think the icing might have worked a little better if you’d let the cake cool down first. I think the heat might be what made the icing run like that. Also, pretty sure bakers use rolled, regal icing when they do fancy cakes like this. Not runny icing.”

“Yeah, probably.” JJ said. “That’s what it said in the book, but we didn’t have any and I just though I could make it work with this.” He looked over at Pope again. “Guess not, though…” He paused then added softly, “sorry”.

Pope shook his head. “Come here,” he said, pulling JJ into his arms. He wiped the icing off JJ’s cheek with his thumb and kissed the tip of JJ’s nose.

“It was a lovely, lovely idea,” he said softly. “Thank you so much, baby,” he kissed the corner of JJ’s mouth.

“I’m getting you all messy,” JJ said, trying to pull away.

“I don’t care,” Pope replied, pulling him back. “Do you hear me? I love it,” he nuzzled the tips of their noses together, “I love every sticky inch of it.” He kissed the frown lines between JJ’s eyes, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“You still talking about the cake?” JJ asked.

“Don’t know what you mean,” Pope’s eyes twinkled.

JJ smiled again and caught Pope’s mouth in a kiss; a sweet press of slightly parted lips.

Pope let out a sigh, resting their foreheads together and they took a moment, breathing in each other’s air.

“Well,” Pope said, his lips brushing JJ’s as he spoke. “I think we both know what we need to do now.”

“Umm,” JJ hummed his ascent. “I’ll fill the sink.”

“Good idea,” Pope grinned. “I’ll grab a tea-towel.”

JJ huffed a laugh and pulled back, grinning, and turned to start filling the bowl with hot soapy water.

Pope rolled up his sleeves and started collecting the dirty bowls and utensils, stacking them in a pile next to the sink.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, laughing and chatting – JJ elbow deep in sudsy water and Pope methodically drying the items on the draining board – they were the very picture of pure domestic bliss.

***********************************************************************************************************

“And you’re sure I can’t just use the mop?” JJ squinted at the ceiling.

“Yes, J, I’m sure,” Pope looked over at him fondly from where he was putting the cutlery back in the drawer. “I’ll borrow my dad’s step ladders and we can clean it properly with a cloth.”

JJ wandered over to the counter and looked down at the cake.

“Shall I just bin this?” He asked.

“What? No!” Pope said shocked, “Don’t throw away my cake!”

JJ suppressed a little smile. “I know it’s not your birthday until tomorrow, but shall we just have some now?” 

When he turned, Pope was already holding out two plates and a knife.

“Make a wish,” JJ said, as Pope cut two large slices. Pope turned his face away slightly, smiling to himself, but JJ caught it.

They took their cake and a couple of forks into the living room and settled onto the sofa, their knees touching.

“Ummm,” Pope hummed, his mouth full. “This is amazing.”

JJ took a bite, considering. “Not the best-looking cake ever, but I guess it doesn’t taste too bad.”

“It tastes really good!”

Pope looked over at JJ slumped next to him, happy and disheveled and perhaps a bit tired. _His._

“Like I said before,” Pope stated. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

JJ looked back into Pope’s twinkling eyes, and the smile playing around the corner of his mouth, and replied, simply: “I wouldn’t have my cake any other way either.”

**Author's Note:**

> And yes, if anyone was wondering, I did write this while my own birthday cake was being baked in the next room! 🍰
> 
> Comments and feedback are very much appreciated!
> 
> Also - I'm over on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thistreasurehunter) \- I take requests and you can also see what I'm [working on next](https://thistreasurehunter.tumblr.com/post/624214773315321856/thistreasurehunter-requests-list) (warning: nsfw/adult content under the cut). Or just come and say hi! I'm super friendly and love interacting with other Mayward fans! 💙


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